Bean harvester



Patented Apr. 2, 1935 srnrufs 1 My invention relates `toauharvesterdesigned particularlyfor reaping. of beans.

, The mainv object isy to provide a simple high,-

1yefficient device for the above purpose thishar- ,vesterbeingapplicable as an attachment to other harvesting. machines.aslfiereinafter fully set forth.

Harvesting of beanshashitherto been a difficultl procedureduemainlytothe naturefof the growth ofbean Vinesand the variable distances betweenrows vof..said..vines, and itis afurther-` object` ofv myinvention tovprovide a zdevice .not only,V particu.

larly. adaptable: for.. harvesting. beans but `readily adjustable'tovariable conditions such as just-set forth. f

, 3Lis. a..reduced..scale -vievvlof flig.` 1 .with .al

number..of.details:.omitted,andshowingpa reelin.

` l I3asf-themachinemovesrforvvard.4k A.

The outermost guide 2| is usually more-.elon-` z.

operative. position.. Y

Referringlothe. drawingby referencernumerfr als, my,.devicecomprises.asubstantiaHy-.quadranfgularirame 5..elongate`d,transverselyof ithe direc: tion ,of .travel ofthe-.device indicatedbygan arrow.6.](Fig. .1) Theouter end .offthe frame'as yto the. i rightinEig...1,is. supported by aground wheel'landtheppositeor.inner-endis.providedyvith.exe tensions `6A adapted to beremovablyv secured. to any suitable-kind voil-harvesting machine (notshown) suchas a grain reaper, thus supporting the frame -in suitableplane relative to the ground.

8 and 8A are respectively an inner and an outer shaft, journaled andsupported in the corresponding parts of the main frame, each carrying asuitable number of chain sprockets 9 for conveyor chains I0 connected bya series of suitably spaced conveyor bars or slats I I travelinginwardly (longitudinally of the frame) in direction of arrow l2 withtheir upper runs,V and over a stationary apron I3.

Shaft 8 is rotated by means of Vanother chain sprocket I4 which isrotated by a chain I5 receiving motion from any available sprocket (notshown) on the reaper to which this device is attached. Rotation of shaft8, thus provided for, will of course cause movement of the conveyor asdescribed, when the reaper and my attachment are in motion.

I6 in Fig. 1 designates the end portion of the reciprocable knife-baractuator of a reaper, to the end (ISA) of which is removably attachablen top, lView of the gatherer. .and .-cutting.. means. .shown.in the..lower..

one rendv of the'knifebar- -I'Iv of vmy device and which latter bar isreciprocable` andlocated -par-`V` alleltoand `forward ofthe-mainframe-.ofwmyA v device. This rbar carries twosetsoffcutterfknives I8, known eaclrasaknife section, corresponding. toIthewell known sections -of reapersrin general.. There may be'a:continuous-row of sections` I8-onbar Il, but twok groupsare1shown-inEig..1, there being .a stationary vforwardlydirectedfknife-'nger.

rearward and carrying fanother knife blade-` I 9B contacted by`sections- Ifforecuttingqaetionf; 2li-.aree azpairl-of auxiliary'iixedsidezcutter bladesfintheA samei plane as iixed'fblade =I 9B; the .-twosa-id.-.-auX,--

iliary 'blades vbeingi` spaced to fright arni-1eft-of .al5?.

finger I9 and providing further cutting rneanssinspacedrelationytongerlef I y j Therefore, between each :set of auxiliarylblades? 2li fisfprovided -a'A cuttingiareazor.' field,- designated A'in. Fig. 1, betweerr anna-ir.` of ,elongated-.board 20;..

guides 2I,1 usually-mounted in angulary planes sto. providebetween-them' a\.,throat or; passage for.. vines` to beguidedrearwardlyyonto-fthefapron gated rthan the others, as shown. l221- is'afcasting:withfbearingf-boXes-f 22B adjustablyisecured as withscrews 22S-,Torf-equivalent, toianyg-part o-f'afstationary'bar 2,3,parallel.to.

sickle -bar yII.- and forward sof. the vfrarnefsk This. 30ey 22F areforwardly 35 means comprise two units adjustable longitu- 40 dinally onbar 23, with relation to each other,

and according to the distance between rows of beans to be harvested.

The ngers I9 and the forwardly pointed ends 2IE must necessarily be in aplane close to the 45 ground to insure proper contact and guiding of thebean vines to and past the sphere of cutting action in each unit. v

In Fig. 3 is shown a reel comprising a shaft 24 longitudinally of andover the main frame and 50 rotatable in a bearing bracket `25, saidshaft rotatable by any suitable means such as the bevel n v gear 2tmeshing with another bevel gear 21 on a shaft 2B rotated by a chainsprocket 29 which in turn is rotated by a drive chain 30 connected 55 toany suitable available drive means, either on my device or on the reaperdevice to which it is attached (the latter means not shown).

'I'he reel comprises further a pair of paddlewheels, each comprising ahub 3 I, removably securable as at 32 to any part of shaft 24, each hubcarrying a set of radial paddles (preferbly six in number) 33, eachcomprising preferably a suiciently heavy board about '7 inches wide.Obviously both paddle wheels rotate simultaneously and are mounted atsuch height as to clear the apron and carrier. Each paddle wheel, beingadjustable, is located according to the positions of the reaper unitsabove described and rotate to sweep into the throats A downwardly andrearwardly, to contact the vines and throw them rearwardly onto thecarrier. l

In Fig. 1, 34 designates a iixed guide, over the carrier, extendingrearwardly from aV point directly back of the inner guide board 2 IV ofthe outer cutting unit, thence curved and extending toward the inner endof the carrier. 'Ihis guide is preferably of sheet iron and high enoughto guide the cut vines onto the rear half of the carriez'. Thus theproducts carried from the outer unit are not mixed or piled up on theproducts passing inward from the inner cutting unit.

It is optional as to disposition of the cut products moving inwardly. Ifthe construction of the harvesting implement used is such that the cutproducts may be delivered to carriers or wagons, from the carrier of mydevice, all well and good. Or, it may be most convenient to allow thecut products to be dropped off of the carrier of my device, to theground, where it lies in uniform rows.

The use of my device has been fully disclosed in the foregoingdescription.

As previously stated it is designed primarily as an attachment for otherfarm implements but it is obvious that the device may also beIconstructed as an independent implement by merely incorporating suitabledraft means and another ground wheel, power being available from eithery such wheel.

I claim:

1. A bean harvester comprising a frame supported by a wheel at one endand means at the opposite end for securing the latter to any suitabledraft implement provided with reciprocating knife bar means, said framebeing quadrangular, a sta tionaryapron mounted in said frame, an endlessconveyor including two series of slats movable over said apron in adirection transversely of the direction of movement of the harvester andinwardly from the support means a reciprocating cutter bar with cuttersections mounted forward of and parallel to the frame, a stationary barmounted also forward of the frame parallel to the reciprocating barsecondary cutting means on the latter bar comprising two sets of bladesadjustable with relation to each other and the cutting edges of thelatter blades securable in coacting cutting relation with the cuttersections of the reciprocable bar.

2. The structure specied in claim l, in which said secondary cuttermeans comprise each a main base formed with a pair of parallel upwardlyexposed cutter blades, a central removable cutter blade intermediate theparallel blades, and a pair of guide boards removably securable inspaced parallel relation and directed forwardly from the knives and overthe latter.

3. The structure specied in claim l, in which said secondary cuttermeans comprise each a main base formed with a pair of parallel upwardlyexposed cutter blades, a central removable cutter blade intermediate theparallel blades, and a pair of guide boards removably securable inspaced parallel relation and directed forwardlly from the knives andover the latter said guide boards of both cutter units extendingrearwardly and over the endless conveyor, and a guide member fixed onthe frame, over the conveyor to guide cut products from the outer cutterunit onto the rear parts of the conveyor, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a bean harvester as described comprising a quadrangular frame, awheel supporting one end and means at the other end for securing theframe to a draft implement, an endless carrier movable inwardly from thewheel supported end, a reciprocable cutter bar mounted forward of theframe, and having a row of knife sections, a pair ofY auxiliary cutterdevices mounted to be secured in selective spaced relation to each othersaid cutter devices having secondary cutter means to co-act with any twogroups of the reciprocable blades and all said cutting means directedforwardly, and a reel suitably mounted over the frame and having twosets of radial blades each set adjustably securable and adapted to berotated to impel cut products rearwardly onto the carrier r according tothe respective positions of the auxiliary cutter devices.

FRANCIS W. GILLIAND.

